General Info

[Regulr Travlr]

Ok, so the best way to get the best exchange rate is in country at one of the ATMs? You never had a problem when you got home and found out you were jipped on the exchange rate? BTW, when you use the ATMS there, does the machine ask you for the amount of Colones you want, or do they display a dollar amount, but dispense Colnes? What was the maximum the ATMs would allow you to withdraw? Could I get say, $1,000 worth or would I only be allowed to get $500 or so at a time?

Many thanks for the great advice.

In Panama, Colombia and Costa Rica I have found the exchange rate very favorable at the ATM's. But you do have to watch out for fees on both ends that could eat away at the exchange rate. You need to explore this with your home bank before you go. Also, alert them to the fact that you are traveling so that they do not hold your card on suspected fraud.

The machines ask ans dispense in Colones so you need to have an idea of what the amounts are. I am not sure what the limit is but it definitely is not 1,000. Most US ATMs only have a 500/day limit. My guess it is below that in San Jose based on the cost of living. For example in Colombia the max equates to about 250 per day.

[Rolleratnight]

Just left CR on Thursday. I had questioned the need for Colones based on a lot of reports on this board being in dollars. But after conferring with Tbird and Ford, we decided colones was the way to go. I am not sure where you went that you had so many issues with conversions. The only place I found this was in the airport where I was trying to dump my remaining colones and everything is priced in dollars. All the bars,nightclubs, restaruants and stores I was in transacted in colones. Maybe a few of the souvenir shops around gringo gulch go the dollar route.

Dodger's post contains some excellent information. His conversion method is what I used to get "close enough". One night I ended up paying a chica back in the hotel room in dollars, only because I ran out and didn't want to hit the ATM at night. But ATM's are the way to go. The chica had no problem accepting dollars (surprise!)

Never exchange money at your home bank. Worst rate and large fees. If you feel the need for some pocket money you can always exchange a little bit at the airport before you leave. But do the rest in the country you are visitng.

Ok, so the best way to get the best exchange rate is in country at one of the ATMs? You never had a problem when you got home and found out you were jipped on the exchange rate? BTW, when you use the ATMS there, does the machine ask you for the amount of Colones you want, or do they display a dollar amount, but dispense Colnes? What was the maximum the ATMs would allow you to withdraw? Could I get say, $1,000 worth or would I only be allowed to get $500 or so at a time?

Many thanks for the great advice.

[Allover]

I would recommend changing colones back to dollars before you leave for the airport. As Regulr Travlr says, colones are difficult to spend with at SJO airport.

[Regulr Travlr]

On my last trip to CR, I thought it would be wise to take colones instead of dollars. My logic was I would get a better deal than if I paid with dollars. I ask my bank and they said they could get me colones. I requested $1,500 worth, I was given approx $1,300 worth of colones plus charged a fee. I go to CR with my $1,300 and everywhere I went I asked if I could pay in colones, they all looked at me like I was paying with toilet paper, then they whip out a calculator and tell me the price in colones. Now, sure I could do the mental math, but this was cumbersome with EVERY transaction! Not to mention, how do I dicker about their calculations with EVERY transaction?

So, here's my question: What do you think about taking colones vs dollars. Where is a good place to get colones without being ripped-off?

Many thanks!

Just left CR on Thursday. I had questioned the need for Colones based on a lot of reports on this board being in dollars. But after conferring with Tbird and Ford, we decided colones was the way to go. I am not sure where you went that you had so many issues with conversions. The only place I found this was in the airport where I was trying to dump my remaining colones and everything is priced in dollars. All the bars,nightclubs, restaruants and stores I was in transacted in colones. Maybe a few of the souvenir shops around gringo gulch go the dollar route.

Dodger's post contains some excellent information. His conversion method is what I used to get "close enough". One night I ended up paying a chica back in the hotel room in dollars, only because I ran out and didn't want to hit the ATM at night. But ATM's are the way to go. The chica had no problem accepting dollars (surprise!)

Never exchange money at your home bank. Worst rate and large fees. If you feel the need for some pocket money you can always exchange a little bit at the airport before you leave. But do the rest in the country you are visitng.

[Dodger Bulldog]

No, no, no! I must disagree.

Dollars, what the hell are dollars?

When I am in Costa Rica I carry nothing but colones. You screw yourself if you pay any other way. If you use dollars you target yourself as an easy gringo mark.

The math is pretty simple: 5000 colones equals roughly $10. Forget the thousand and think 5 = $10. Thus if you are inclined to pay the infamous "cien," that would be 50,000 colones. Since 5 = $10, 50 = $100.

Just double everything: 10 = $20, 20 = $40, 30 = $60, 40 = $80, 50 = $100, etc.

Easy!

When you pay in colones, you even save a little on the rounding, as an exact rate for cien would be 51,800, mas or menos.

I usually only bring about $10 in my pocket, so I'll have something to buy a meal with when I get back home to the States.

Now when you arrive at the airport in San Jose, the first thing to do is to fight through the crowd and walk across the street. Take the escalator upstairs to the departure terminal.

There you'll find two ATM's that give a fair rate. It seems that anywhere you go in the world you will get the best exchange rate from an ATM. Push your luck and ask for as much as you can get so that you don't get nicked for too many transaction fees.

I just withdraw whatever I am going to need from the ATMs. In July I took 300,000 from the airport machine at an exchange rate of 516.60, and incurred a $1.25 transaction fee.

A week later I made a withdrawal at a machine in the gulch at the rate of 518.81. Normal fluctuations. Be advised that in Spanish they call them "ATH" machines, in case you need to ask someone for the location of one once you are in town.

At the airport there is also a bank branch right next to the ATMs that will exchange cash dollars into colones when you arrive, and back again when you leave.

Oh, and while you are upstairs getting your colones, go ahead and pay your exit tax of $26 there, but pay it with colones (it's cheaper). This saves time when you are in a rush to leave.

Plus, it keeps me from handing over all of my money to the chicas, which might cause me to be too broke to ever be able to leave Costa Rica.

God forbid, LOL.

Never ever never negotiate or pay in dollars!

DB

[Allover]

I think you really need both. Dollars for the girls and colones for most everything else. In some cases you'll save by using colones. Best example is a short taxi ride in the gulch. It usually costs 395 colones which is less than a dollar. I used mainly dollars but always kept about $50 worth of colones on hand.

The Colonial Casino and Morazon Casino, both within a 2 mninute walk from Del Rey, have decent exchange rates (about 515 colones to the US dollar). Just walk up to the caja (cashier) and tell them you want to buy colones with dollars. You don't need to gamble. Just take the money and go.

Del Rey casino exchange rates are slightly lower at 500-505 colones to the dollar. I used the Del Rey casino to break US $100 into five twenty dollar bills. They were always glad to make change for me.

[Rolleratnight]

On my last trip to CR, I thought it would be wise to take colones instead of dollars. My logic was I would get a better deal than if I paid with dollars. I ask my bank and they said they could get me colones. I requested $1,500 worth, I was given approx $1,300 worth of colones plus charged a fee. I go to CR with my $1,300 and everywhere I went I asked if I could pay in colones, they all looked at me like I was paying with toilet paper, then they whip out a calculator and tell me the price in colones. Now, sure I could do the mental math, but this was cumbersome with EVERY transaction! Not to mention, how do I dicker about their calculations with EVERY transaction?

So, here's my question: What do you think about taking colones vs dollars. Where is a good place to get colones without being ripped-off?

Many thanks!

[NastyBoy]

What happens if you get caught bringing a drug without prescription from CR?

You get arrested. Research the recent Rush Limbaugh incident.

[NastyBoy]

Banning mongers cost hotels big revenue losses.

http://www.ticotimes.net/topstory.htm

Thanks for the post. It will be interesting to see how successful they will become. Fucking Best Western Downtown is right in the middle of all the action. It's a clean enough place and I have taken several babes there for the $10 surcharge. Most recently May of this year. Guess they'll be losing this guys business.

The rest of the article, it seems to me, is just some shit head reporter trying to write a story about anything that could get him some readers. Everybody is a fucking crusader.

NB

[Bilko]

I would like to buy some land and eventually build a house in CR, don`t know the area yet. Could someone give me a general idea of what the price of the sq. Meter is? I know it would vary form area to area, but I would like to have an idea. Thanks.

Check this site, it's a site that includes listings from many companies and individuals: www.inmotico.com

[Bill Bradsky]

Banning mongers cost hotels big revenue losses.

http://www.ticotimes.net/topstory.htm

[Mudpie]

Does san jose have any porno mag shops?

Where do the locals go for their stash? Gotta be someplace.

Thanks!

[Da Monger]

Can anyone tell me the approx time of travel from SL to US Consulate loctaed at Calle 120 Avenida 0, Pavas, San José?

Thanks

[Professor 1]

Airport / travel info:

2. If you know when you will depart the country, pay the exit fee (departure tax) at the little booth in corner where you turn right just before you get in line to get your passport stamped. Pay $ 26 in USD. Open 8a-8p. It is issued with a date and is only good for that day. Excellent advice I got from this board.

3. Make a copy of your passport before you leave. The Official Costa Rica tourism office recommends you carry a copy of your passport, not the real thing. The latest thing says, “notarized copy” but I just had the copy I made.

If you purchase the departure tax at some of the banks in town, you do not need your departure date. Also, remember that the photocopy of your passport needs to have the entry stamp. Get the photocopy at your hotel, then return the orginal to the safe.

[Zepplin]

What happens if you get caught bringing a drug without prescription from CR?

Well if you want the textbook answer from customs it's pretty much the same thing as the Cuban smokes. At a minimum you'll loose them.

It's more the case that they may stumble onto them than actually searching for a few pills. They got bigger worries to focus on these days.

I carry an empty pill bottle with a script and get my C there cause I'm too lazy to go back and renew the script here. You don't save any money buying C there and bringing it back to US. It's readily available there so I just stocked up that's all. I forgot to ask about how much V is.


Z